


opposites attract

by montecarlos



Series: Howl [9]
Category: GP2 Series RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, M/M, Mates, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Werewolf Mates, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 16:47:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9771122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/montecarlos/pseuds/montecarlos
Summary: Antonio wasn’t sure if he liked Alex’s mate. He was very different from what he was expecting - he always imagined Alex’s mate to be tall and imposing, like the alpha himself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set after 'bark at the moon' but before 'please, don't bite'. It chronicles the beginnings of Mitch's and Alex's relationship. In this story, Mitch has discovered that Alex is a werewolf and that they are mates. Mitch is still human in this story and the pack without Mitch still exist.  
> For Jamie, for everything.

Antonio wasn’t sure if he liked Alex’s mate. He was very different from what he was expecting - he always imagined Alex’s mate to be tall and imposing, like the alpha himself. He always imagined that the person would be calm and collected, much like the alpha that Antonio held close to his heart. He remembers when Alex came home angry, when he slammed the hell out of the punchbag as the sweat poured down his face. He hated feeling Alex like that - the anger overcame everything and made Alex’s natural scent of chocolate and pine cones - it’s red hot and seems to linger over the warmth of their bond. Antonio isn’t sure why Alex is angry. He always thought that mates were something special; he remembers Fernando telling them that when they found out that Stoffel and Pierre had mated.    
  
He barely remembers his own mate - he only knew him for a moment, felt the spark that Stoffel had spoken of when they were curled up together having beta time - before it was extinguished forever. He remembers the screams though, the screams that tore past his throat as the pain flooded through his chest as he found himself unable to control the full shift - the shift that had lasted for three months - when Antonio nearly lost himself.  Antonio wishes that Alex would remember that when he’s yelling at Pierre that he doesn’t need his mate, that he continues to push his barely-healing body through extensive training.    
  
Antonio doesn’t say anything though - Alex is incredibly sensitive over every mention of his mate recently, leading to Pierre being in a bad mood and Stoffel having to be the peacemaker of the group. He remembers overhearing Alex in the lounge, speaking to Fernando - the smell of coffee and of antiseptic floats through Antonio’s nostrils as he hears the smooth voice of the senior Alpha.    
  
“Pierre summoned me over here, he said that you are not healing,” Fernando says softly. Antonio can hear the sound of his medical bag opening, knows that the alpha is examining the younger one with critical blood red eyes.    
  
“Pierre is worrying over nothing again,” Alex snaps, his tone already bad-tempered.    
  
“Alexander,” Fernando replies. “He’s your co-alpha. I doubt that his worry is not without reason,”

“I’m fine. He’s wasting his time worrying over things that don’t even matter,” Alex says, sounding bored. “It’s nothing to do with my mate,”   
  
“Mate?” Fernando says, his tone full of shock, “You found them?”   
  
“Yeah-” Alex says quietly.    
  
“Well, that’s a big thing, Alexander.” Fernando replies.   
  
“It’s really not a big thing. I don’t need a mate, Fernando. A mate would just pull me down and make me weak,” Alex’s voice is slightly muffled and Antonio finds his eyebrow raising at his alpha’s words.     
  
Fernando doesn’t say anything for a moment. “Alexander, I have two mates. Am I considered weak?”    
  
“Of course not, never,” Alex says, pain filling his voice. “I would never think that of you-”   
  
“Then why do you find yourself weak if you have a mate? If anything, a mate would make you stronger-”   
  
“He’s human,” Alex snaps out, anger tainting his tone.    
  
“Jenson was human once,” Fernando says, his voice full of disapproval. “You must let go of this conditioning that humans are less than you,”   
  
“But he’s a human, he’s not worthy of being my mate,”   
  
“I hope you will regret those words soon, Alexander,” Fernando says, sounding upset. Antonio sits on the stairs and wonders why Alex is behaving in this manner. He’d do anything to have his mate, to get to know his mate but all Alex is interested in is rejecting his mate. Antonio wonders what this human is like - he wonder what colour eyes he has, what colour his hair is, what makes him laugh.   
  


* * *

  
  
He soon finds out. Mitch is his name, and that he’s everything that Antonio never imagined. He’s short, he’s tan and he’s  _ loud _ . Antonio feels his hackles raise as the whirlwind of Kiwi comes into their lives - even his scent is strange and overpowering, like cologne with the undertones of cookies clinging to his tiny form. But it’s not his figure that puts Antonio on edge, it’s how he treats Alex. Antonio always expected Alex’s mate to be calm and patient with him but Mitch just seems to antagonise Alex and make him upset.

  
He walks in on Alex shoving a smaller figure against the wall and is about to intervene when he hears Alex’s voice snarl out. “What the fuck were you thinking?”   
  
“Look man, you don’t own me,” The figure snaps back and Antonio sees him come into the light - a short tanned young man with messy black hair and chocolate brown eyes. But it’s not the sight of the man that takes his breath away. It’s his scent. Antonio suddenly feels an overwhelming nature to protect this man. He’s the alpha mate.    
  
“You can’t leave,” Alex snarls, holding onto the man’s bicep, the electricity seems to flash between them. “You can’t go out into the forest at night,”   
  
“What’s stopping me? What, you got some more crazy wolves to chase after me until you get what you want?” The man snarls back, eyes as dark as Alex’s fur when he shifts.    
  
“Mitch, please-” Alex says and Antonio hates how weak he sounds. He’s used to Alex sounding strong and wonders if he was right, if his mate truly does make him weaker. “Don’t go,”   
  
“Why not? Give me a reason,” Mitch says, eyes still dark. “And I swear to god, if you say some other wolf is after me, I swear-”   
  
Alex reels back at Mitch’s words, his arm letting go of the young human’s bicep. “Mitch-”   
  
But Mitch doesn’t say anything else. The door slams shut and Alex lets out a low whine, a whine that hurts Antonio’s chest. Alex’s dark brown eyes meet Antonio’s across the room. “Tonio-” Alex begins but Antonio ignores his alpha’s plea and follows Mitch out of the house.    
  


* * *

  
  
“Mitch!” Antonio finds himself calling out and the smaller man stiffens at his name breaking the silence.    
  
“Look, Alex, I don’t want to talk-” Mitch begins, only to stop when he notices that the young man standing before him isn’t the alpha. “Look, I don’t want to talk to anyone-”   
  
“You don’t have to,” Antonio says calmly. “But at least let me walk you home-”   
  
Mitch opens his mouth to complain but Antonio shakes his head. “Your place is out of the pack boundary, and I know that he would worry-”   
  
“Okay, okay,” Mitch says, holding his hands up as though to dismiss Antonio’s words. “Knock yourself out,” 

Silence stretches out between the two young men as they begin the slow walk away from Alex’s house, keeping close to the road that curls down towards the town. The only sounds is that of their footsteps against the loose gravel, the moon seems to hang low in the darkened sky, like a shiny white penny.    
  
“So who are you?” Mitch asks finally, unable to retain the silence for a minute longer. “Are you a wolf too?”   
  
“I’m Antonio, I’m one of Alex’s betas,” Antonio says softly. “I’m a wolf. Alex saved me,” He pauses for a minute, tries not to think about the cage that he was left in, the screams that left his throat. “I was a mess before I met him, I was more wolf than human and he brought out the best in me,”   
  
“Did his crazy wolf friends kidnap you too?” Mitch says.    
  
“No!” Antonio says a little loudly. “Look, Alex isn’t like that - he isn’t like that at all. Pascal...the wolf who took you...he used to be friends with our pack. We were really close. He was a lone wolf - a lone alpha and Alex took pity on him. It was the biggest mistake that Alex has ever made-” Antonio takes a deep breath, trying to remember to breathe.    
  
“What-what happened?” Mitch asks quietly.    
  
“He tried...h-he tried to m-mate with me,” Antonio says, forcing the words out. “But wolves aren’t like other species...we have mates, we have a code. Pascal wasn’t my mate but he tried to-” Antonio takes in another breath. “Alex found out what he did. He sought advice from Fernando, the alpha leader of the district, and Pascal was exiled. He never...really forgave Alex for doing what he did. But Alex did it to protect me,”   
  
“That sounds like a really noble thing to do,”   
  
“Alex has always protected me,” Antonio says, tears glinting in his eyes as he continues walking. “I was born an omega but with his help, I managed to break free of that. He always managed to see the best in me even when I couldn’t. He held me all night when I woke up screaming from night terrors, he was the one who encouraged me to read - he read with me every night, still does. He gave me everything,”   
  
Mitch’s eyes seem to have softened as Antonio continues, “And I understand this wolf stuff is new to you, and that you’re scared and frightened of what is going to happen-” He takes another breath to steady himself. “But if you hurt him-”   
  
“I’m scared,” Mitch says softly. “I’m scared of him on some level, I’m scared to give in - I mean, there’s an animal deep inside him and I’m scared of what he can do-”   
  
“But he has done so much good,” Antonio says, his tone protective. “He took me in when I was nothing. Stoffel? Stoffel was a hunter, something went wrong during a hunt and he ended up as a wolf. His family would have killed him, Alex should have killed him belonging to a hunter family who wiped out some of his family but he didn’t-” Antonio says, not pausing for a breath. “He’s a good man, he’s the best man I’ve ever known. And I know that you’re scared and you’re angry that you don’t get a choice...but he’s feeling exactly what you feel. He’s angry about not being able to choose, about having a human as a mate-”   
  
“I just feel he doesn’t want me…” Mitch says, softly. It’s almost vulnerable. “I feel I’m not good enough for him...I’m just human,”   
  
“And maybe that’s what he needs,” Antonio says quietly. “Look, I have never had a mate and I’m like the worst person in the world to discuss this with, but like, he’s your mate for a reason. I can’t work out exactly why yet, but I think he needs you,”   
  
“Sounds like he’s doing fine without me,” Mitch says, snorting.    
  
“I know it seems that way, but he still does struggle. He doesn’t want anyone to see the soft side of him, the true Alex that lies underneath the alpha facade. The Alex who reads with me every night, the Alex who cuddles with Stoffel when he cries over his family, the Alex who would do anything for anyone,” Antonio continues. “He needs someone to cry on sometimes. Stoffel and I do what we can, but he needs someone else,”   
  
“And you think this someone is me?” Mitch says, raising an eyebrow.    
  


“Be honest, do you really want it to be anyone else?”    
  
Antonio feels a smile on his lips at Mitch’s sudden clouded expression, the furrow between his eyebrows telling him that the feelings for Alex are mutual. “He can be as close to anyone as he wants to be,” He snaps, his tone losing its playfulness.   
  
“That’s the point. You like each other, you have to stop making it harder than it needs to be. I can deal with him being stubborn, but not with you fighting it too,” Antonio says, the smile still clinging to his features. “I’m not saying that you give in straight away, but like it’s clear you like him too,”   
  
Mitch worries his lip. “I do, I just...this whole mates thing is throwing me off,” He pauses for a moment. “And like, he’s a fucking  _ werewolf _ ,”

  
“So am I,” Antonio says, the giggle brushing from his lips as he sees the outline of Mark’s house poking up from the trees, the protection that Fernando has placed around the boundaries greeting him with a fond warmth that rolls over his bones.    
  
“But like he acts like one,” Mitch says, rolling his eyes as they move closer to Mark’s house - he’s been staying there ever since the incident with Pascal, Alex wanted him nearby and wouldn’t settle without Mitch having at least some form of protection. And Mark, well, Mark has a gun.    
  


* * *

  
  
However, as they approach the front porch, Mark immediately throws the door open, the phone is cradled against his ear and there’s panic on his weathered face. Mitch’s face furrows at the sight of the older man’s worried face but Antonio picks up something about Alex on the phone. Mark ends the call as quickly as he can, throwing the phone to one side as he takes in the sight of the two young men before him.    
  
“What’s going on?” Mitch says, glancing at the older man with worry.    
  
“Nothing that concerns you,” Mark says, trying to smile at the human. “I’m glad you’re here, Mitch. Come on, come in, Antonio-”   
  
“What’s going on?” Mitch says as Antonio stiffens at the side of him, his eyes seeming to glaze over for a moment. “Antonio, what-?”   
  
“Alex-” Antonio murmurs out. “Alex is in trouble, I have to go to him-”   
  
“Antonio, you must stay here,” Mark says, trying to calm down the young wolf as Antonio’s green eyes flash gold at his words. “He’s gone into a rut. You must stay away, he may recognise you as an omega,”   
  
Antonio flinches at the word. “But he’s my alpha, he needs my help,”   
  
“There’s nothing you can do for him right now, Antonio. You must stay here with Mitch and I where it’s safe,” Mark says, watching Antonio’s eyes flash gold again.    
  
“But- but-”   
  
“What is a rut? What’s wrong with Alex?” Mitch cuts in, glancing between the two wolves in confusion.    
  
“A rut is the alpha’s equivalent of a heat,” Mark says quietly. “They always happen during a full moon, though not every full moon. The alpha becomes uncontrollable, wants nothing more than its mate,”   
  
Mitch stiffens at Mark’s words. “Mate?”   
  
Mark’s brown eyes suddenly light up bright blue. “Mitch, don’t even think about it. You’re not going anywhere near him right now,”    
  
“But what if I can do something-”   
  
“He would rip you apart,” Antonio cuts in. “You’re not mated right now, he would kill you Mitch,”

Mitch bites down on his tongue. “But-”   
  
“But nothing,” Mark cuts in. “You two are staying here where it’s safe. The situation is under control, Stoffel managed to get him into the room and Fernando is over there now,”   
  
“Alex needs me,” Antonio argues back. “You can’t keep me away from my alpha,”   
  
“I can’t, but I can advise you-” Matk begins, only to sigh at the expression on Antonio’s face. “But nothing I say will stop you will it?”   
  
Antonio says nothing else, his eyes focused on the full moon still high in the sky, his eyes flashing gold. “Antonio, what-” Mitch cuts in only to watch as Antonio’s eyes seem to flare, his fingernails slowly lengthening as his teeth sharpen. Mitch watches in disbelief as the skinny, tall figure of Antonio seems to morph into a wolf, a wolf no bigger than a Alsatian with chocolate brown fur, a remarkably similar colour to that of Antonio’s messy hair.    
  
The wolf barks once at Mark, it’s gold eyes shifting back to a very familiar forest green, and it turns on its heel and darts back through the woods. Mitch moves to run after the wolf, only to feel an arm curling around his bicep.    
  
“Mitch-” Mark says, quietly. “You can’t follow, Alex would kill me if I let you go into the woods on your own,”   
  
“But Alex needs me!” Mitch shouts out, watching the wolf disappear. “He needs me with him!”   
  
“He’d tear you apart, Mitch,” Mark says, shaking his head. “I understand that he’s your mate-”   
  
“Then why don’t you understand why I need to be with him?”   
  
“Because you’re human!” Mark snaps. “You’re human and you’re unmated to him right now. In a rut, he would try mate with you and you’d probably die! He would rip your throat to shreds, Mitch!”   
  
“I need to be with him, Mark, you don’t understand-” Mitch says, scrubbing his hand over his face. “I have to know he’s alright-”   
  
“And I have to keep you safe. Alex would never forgive himself if something happened to you, Mitch-”   
  
“ _ Please, _ ” Mitch murmurs. “Please, what if I lose him? I found out that we’re mates and now everyone is telling me to stay away. I can’t stay away from him-”   
  
Mark sighs heavily. “Okay, you can see him but he’s inside the reinforced room. You can’t go in there with him,”   
  
“I don’t care, I just need to be with him,” Mitch says and Mark knows there’s no use arguing with these kids. A smile spreads across his face at already how protective Mitch is over Alex, he knows that once their partnership is ignited, nothing will get between them. He grabs his car keys, Mitch already on his way over to the beat up police car.    
  


* * *

Mitch can feel the trepidation rising in his chest as they drive along the long winding road back to Alex’s house - he wonders what they will find there - he’s never seen the aforementioned room before and tries to imagine Alex wrapped up in chains, screaming out, his eyes the deep dark red that Mitch now knows to be the colour of an alpha’s eyes. Fernando is standing on the porch - arms folded and not looking particularly happy to see Mitch strapped in the front seat of the car.    
  
“I told you to leave him at home,” Fernando says in way of greeting. “Alexander is not in a good way,”   
  
“If you can persuade Mitch to leave, be my guest,” Mark replies, his eyes locking with his mates. “If that were you in there-”   
  
“Nobody could hold you back,” Fernando sighs, accepting the kiss that Mark brushes against his lips. “Still, it’s dangerous, Alex will sense that Mitch is near me-”   
  
A loud howl tears through the air and Fernando’s eyes widen as Mitch, now unclipped from the car, dashes towards the house not stopping. “Mitch-” Fernando begins, realising that it’s fruitless to keep the young human away, runs after him.    
  
“Alex!” Mitch calls out, only for another loud howl to brush through the air making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He inevitably finds the room - down in the basement - finds Stoffel pacing the floor back and forth looking incredibly stressed, Pierre sitting by the side, his red eyes fixed on the cameras on the wall. Mitch’s own eyes focus on the cameras - on the form on the screen, the form of a large black wolf. He feels his mouth fall open at the sight, at the sight of Alex as a wolf. He never thought this were possible, never thought that Alex could become this. The detail isn’t perfect on the camera and Alex prowls back and forth, howling at the top of his lungs, but Mitch finds his hand gravitating towards the camera. His fingers brush over the static-filled screen, over the black form.    
  
“I’m here,” He murmurs. “I’m here,”    
  
Something wet brushes against his hand and he flinches for a second, before his eyes meet familiar green ones. Antonio, still in his wolf form, stands at the side of him, his face close to Mitch’s hand. Antonio doesn’t say anything - and Mitch isn’t sure he can communicate with him as a wolf - but Antonio looks relieved and proud at the sight of Mitch before him. He nuzzles Mitch’s hand one last time before he turns on his heels and marches back over to the door, the door where Mitch presumes Alex is being held. He finds himself following the small chocolate wolf, as he curls up against the door, and follows suit, sliding down the wall and folding in on himself.    
  
“I’m here,” Mitch murmurs again, barely loud enough for Antonio to hear. “I had to come, I had to be here for him, even if he doesn’t know it yet,”    
  
Antonio huffs, his nose moving closer and his furry head tucking against Mitch’s shoulder for a moment. Mitch finds his hand curling into the chocolate fur, finding it as soft as he imagined. “You were right Antonio. I do like him, I like him an awful lot,” He pauses for a moment, his head resting against the door. “And I was scared, I still am. I still don’t know what is going to happen, but I do know one thing. I want it to happen, I want this,” His eyes fix on the cameras, on the large wolf still pacing backwards and forwards, the wolf that is his  __ mate.  
  
It seems such a foreign concept to him - that there’s a man who is half wolf and that this man is supposed to be his one true love or something - it doesn’t feel real. “I don’t want to be the person who walks away and wonders what could have been. And if it’s alright with you, I want to be able to explore that,”  
  
Antonio snorts and noses at Mitch’s hand, allowing him to continue stroking the soft fur. Mitch feels his eyelids grow heavy at the warmth of Antonio surrounding him but he fights against the sensation. He has to stay awake to check that Alex is going to be okay. His other hand strokes lightly against the steel door. “I’m here, Alex,” He whispers against the cool metal. “I’m here, love,” He says lightly, his eyelids falling closed again as he slumps against the small chocolate wolf.    
Antonio snuffs once more, wanting nothing more than to smile at Mitch’s small words, at the fact that his alpha’s mate is here with them, that he cares enough about Alex to be here.    
  
Maybe Alex’s mate isn’t so bad, Antonio thinks as he noses again at Mitch’s hand, his tail lightly slapping against the floor.  Maybe he’s exactly what Alex and the pack needs, he thinks as his eyes grow heavy and he curls closer to Mitch, to protect his alpha’s mate from harm.    
  
Mark feels the smile dance over his lips at the sight of Antonio curled up with Mitch, in an almost protective fashion and he knows that the Lynn-Gasly pack will once again grow and flourish.    



End file.
